Muskegon Lake: Ruddiman Creek and Nearby Shoreline, Ecological Restoration Master Plan
First Public Workshop on September 11, 2007

The first of two public workshops aimed at developing the restoration master plan was held on September 11, 2007 in Muskegon, Michigan. Attendees included federal and state agency representatives, representatives from the City of Muskegon, members of the Muskegon Lake Watershed Partnership, the Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, and local business owners and citizens. Participants reviewed ecological information for Ruddiman Creek and Muskegon Lake and discussed the challenges, opportunities and vision for the site.

The first public workshop included eight posters with information on the ecological and physical conditions of the project site. These were edited and annotated by workshop participants. Biohabitats led three distinct exercises to help stakeholders articulate a vision, restoration goals, and specific opportunities and constraints for the restoration site. This included an exercise where participants created bumper stickers that express the essence, or vision, of a restored Ruddiman Creek and Muskegon Lake shoreline. To develop guiding principles, statements that defined certain attributes of ecological restoration were presented, and participants rated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with each statement. Finally, participants were asked to express opportunities and constraints associated with the restoration project, and these were then discussed by the group.

All of these materials are presented below.